Installing Solar Panels Correctly on your Motorhome or Caravan So you have decided to install solar panels onto your caravan or motorhome – great! Here are some important tips that will help you to get the most out of your expensive solar panels. Wiring size Take care with the size of the wiring. Using cable […]
Getting Help When You Need It Most We love to take our motorhome to some of the remotest places in Australia, we like the solitude and the feeling of isolation. I realise that this type of exploration is not for everyone, but the reason most people travel in motorhomes and caravans is to explore Australia […]
240v fridge or a low voltage fridge for your motorhome or caravan. Yesterday I was asked for my advice on the purchase of a refrigerator for a motorhome. Under consideration were a 240v 220ltr household fridge and a 12/24v 220ltr Danfoss compressor based unit (Waeco). I was asked to comment on the economics of each […]
Shade Tolerant Solar Panels? I have heard a number of travelers repeat the great “shade tolerant” sales pitch given them, when selecting solar panels for their motorhome or caravan. Much of this is just that – sales pitch. Firstly, nobody in their right mind is going to intentionally locate their expensive solar panel in the […]
Not sure if your expensive solar panels are doing their job? Here is some simple tests that you can do to determine how your solar panels are performing. A solar panels currency is current (measured in amps) – so you are going to need some method of measuring current. Some solar regulators have a display […]
No matter whether you are a “The glass is half full” kind of person or a “The glass is half empty” type, you will agree that one advantage of drinking from a glass is that you can see just how much of the liquid remains. Sadly our motorhome and caravan batteries are not like that […]
This is a question we get asked often. Once fellow travellers discover that I have an electrical background and training, I am regularly asked to examine their solar installation to determine why it is not working. Here is a list of the top 5 causes for Solar that does not perform on caravans and motorhomes […]
My brother-in-law recently purchased a pure sine wave inverter via eBay. In the supplied information the inverter looked like the perfect replacement for his modified sine wave “Xantrex” brand inverter (that has performed flawlessly for a number of years). The inverter purchased is currently selling (on ebay) for $579 plus $135 shipping When the inverter […]
This is Part two of How to Find Free Camps in Australia. Part 1 can be found here. In part one we looked at places where you might just find a spot to camp for a night or two, in this the second part we take a look at some places to avoid and some security and […]
How to find Free Camps in Australia This is part one of a two part article discussing how to find “Free” camps in Australia. Those of you that regularly read our travel blog will know that as we travel Australia in our motorhome, we spend much of our time staying in free and nearly-free camps. […]
Motorhome and Caravan Toilet Chemicals – which is best? This is an age old question for almost all travelers, motorhomers and caravaners alike. At many gatherings and ‘happy hours’ the conversation invariably turns to “What toilet chemicals do you use?” There are two main types of toilet treatments for portable and inbuilt motorhome / caravan […]
When we took to the road in 2003, we did so with our two Burmese cats. Some people have dogs and we have met people who travel with a bird. In this article we discuss the benefits and limitations imposed when travelling with pets. We lost one of our cats (she was hit by a […]
Almost every motorhome and many caravans use an inverter. These clever electronic devices take the low voltage direct current (DC) power from our batteries and convert it to the same high voltage alternating current (AC) that our household sockets deliver. This allows us to have 240 volt mains power with us no matter how […]
Every vehicle has an alternator, we know that it is responsible for keeping the starting battery from going flat. But can we use the alternator to charger our motorhome house batteries too? What is the best way to do this? Before we look at the options, let’s look at the issues: Crank batteries differ […]
Most people who have anything to do with solar power know that a solar regulator is necessary. Not too many of these people understand the exact function of a solar regulator or how it does what it does. For the purpose of this discussion and unless I state otherwise, I will be talking about the […]
As we travel, we often meet people who are in caravans and mobile homes. It always surprises me how many people continue to have issues with the electrical systems. In most cases the conversation starts with “why does my fridge cut-out during the night” or perhaps “my caravan lights go very dim by about 10pm”. […]
We often get asked “how many solar panels do I need?”. The person asking the question normally expects me to look at the size of their caravan/motorhome then immediately offer a valid technical opinion. To offer any kind of meaningful answer a number of factors must be known: Average daily power consumption (normally measured in […]
For someone wanting to equip their motorhome or caravan with solar panels to collect free power from the sun, there is an almost endless list of technical terms rumours and myths to wade through. Terms like polycrystalline, amorphous and temperature co-efficient to name just a few. Sales pitch aside, how is the average person supposed to […]
Some thoughts on how to setup a motorhome for free camping Written June 2008 Before beginning any discussion about setting up a motorhome for free camping, it is perhaps important to define what is meant by the term “Free Camping”. What is Free Camping? Quite simply, I use the term free camping to describe any […]
In the last article I talked about the advantages of capturing rain water from the roof of a motorhome or caravan – and described how we do this. In this article I will explain why I feel it is absolutely essential to have two tanks holding water – one for drinking water and the other […]